Munitions for targets



Feb. 28, 1967 B. KARIN ETAL 3,306,199

MUNITIONS FOR TARGETS Filed Oct. 5, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS:

I. Be/a: Kcvu'n. --i-'- Man c. Baku.

Feb. 28, 1967 B. KARlN ETAL 3,306,199

MUNITIONS FOR TARGETS Filed Oct. 5, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ButKalun' ABM C. Baku Fb. 28, 1967 B. KARIN ET AL 3,306,199

MUNITIONS FOR TARGETS Filed Oct. 5, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENF 01B:

Bent Kcwh. ABan C. Baku (B. KARIN ETAL 3,306,199 MUNITIONS FOR TARGETSFeb, 28, 1967 Filed Oct. 5, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I NVENTORS:

ButKa-un Afianc. em

United States Patent 3,306,199 MUNITIONS FOR TARGETS Bert Karin,Fullerton, and Alan C. Baker, La Mirada, Califi, assignors to NorthropCorporation, Beverly Hills, Califl, a corporation of California FiledOct. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 402,065 2 Claims. (Cl. 1027.4)

The present invention relates to airborne stores, and more particularly,to an assembly of munition components adapted to deploy from a compactpackage.

It is an object of this invention to provide a system which may befired, released, or otherwise delivered into a target area at a desiredaltitude, and which upon landing will comprise a contact-burst part andan air-burst part separated by a predetermined distance, both partsbeing exploded simultaneously.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, shown by way of illustration andnot limitation,

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section view of one embodiment of ourinvention, showing it in assembled form.

FIGURE 2 is a right-hand end view of a portion of the outside of theassembly of FIGURE 1, showing a detail of a releasable tab.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the assembly in free fall, showing thefirst events in the deployment thereof.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective diagram showing this embodiment in fourprogressive positions A, B, C, and D after being released from anairplane.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective diagram of the same embodiment as FIGURE 4, incontinued deployment, showing the next stage thereof.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective diagram like FIGURE 5, showing the last stageof deployment.

Referring first to FIGURE 1 for a detailed description of oneapplication of the present invention, a forward body 1 and an aft body 2are provided in line with each other, but spaced apart by a cylindricaldrum 4. Each body 1 and 2 is composed of an explosive charge 5 of thedesired composition at the center and a fragmenting case 6 in thisexample. Alternately, chemical agents could be used as the payload ineither or both bodies. Between the facing ends of bodies 1 and 2, aflexible detonating cord 7 is attached, the cord ends being operativelyembedded into the charges of the respective bodies.

The detonating cord 7 has a length of about ten feet, for example,although it may be more or less. The excess cord 7 is wound around theoutside of the spacer drum 4, utilizing a wedge-shaped space 9 (furthershown in FIGURES 4 and 5) in each recessed end of drum 4 to accommodatea short looped portion of cord 7 near each end thereof. If desired, therigid drum 4 may be omitted, and the cord 7 merely coiled between thetwo bodies 1 and 2 in other arrangements.

A housing 10 next encompasses the wound portion of detonating cord 7 andfits against the sloping end surfaces of bodies 1 and 2. Housing 10 isin three longitudinal segments which merely butt against each other attheir sides. Four segments may be used if desired.

At the aft end of aft body 2, a drag device 11 is installed, comprisingsix (for example) stabilizing vanes 12 hinged at 14 to an end plate 15and spring-loaded in an opening direction by torsional springs 16 at thehinges. Vanes 12, when in the closed position, lie forward along theoutside of the entire assembly, and are provided with radiallyinward-projecting lips 17 at their forward ends.

At the forward end of forward body 1, a contact fuze assembly 19 isprovided, screwing into the forward body 1 at screw threads 20. Armingof this fuze may be accomplished in various ways. Typically aspring-loaded outer cap 21 is held in its compressed position by thelips 17 on vanes 12, the latter being in turn held against the forwardbody 1 by a circular band 22 fitting into shallow notches 24 of eachvane 12. As further shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3, the band 22 is a singlepiece of springy metal having the ends brought adjacent to each other inthe closed band position, it being normally held closed by curved prongs25 of a wind tab 26 fitting into slots 27 near the respective ends ofthe band 22.

Wind tab 26 has a short curved end piece 29 overlying the joint of theband 22, and a long lever arm 30 folding aft along the assembly in aflush or nearly flush relation with the outside thereof and extendingsubstantially to the aft end.

Inside the fuze assembly 32, detonator relay 34, and

19, a coil spring 31, firing pin the like, forming a standard fuzeassembly, complete the major portions of this invention. A contact fuzecould also operate if located at the rear end of forward body 1.

The present application illustrates this invention used in a bomb, forinstance. As shown in FIGURE 4, an airplane 35 may drop or eject theassembly described herein. Initially, the unit is merely held in a rackor pod 39 with a slight force applied on the wind tab 26 to hold itinplace along the surface. In position A, the assembly has just left theairplane and is in the condition shown in FIGURE 1, ready to deploy. Inposition B, the wind has caught under the arm 30 of wind tab 26 andlifted the same to rotate its prongs 25 out of the slots 27 in band 22,which has then sprung out to release the vanes 12. This is also similarto the position of parts shown in FIGURE 3. Tab 26 and band 22 separateaway from the bomb, and cap 21 of fuze assembly 19 is pushed outwardlyby coil springs 31 to arm the fuze device.

Vanes 12 spring open to the rear quickly, where they become locked byvirtue of cam steps 36 catching over the circumference of a spring disk37, and the unit appears substantially as in position C of FIGURE 4.Note that the vanes 12 are spread out slightly from a fully trailedposition, to act as a drag on the aft body 2.

The segments of housing 10 can now drop away, as shown in position D,and the detonating cord 7 starts to unwrap. The forward body 1 isfalling ahead, causing tension in cord 7 to further unwrap it from drum4, in FIGURE 5. Drum 4 is thus separated from the assembly, which nowbecomes fully deployed as in FIGURE 6. The unfolding and separatingactions occur rapidly, and the deployed bomb assembly proceeds to theground.

As it strikes the first object in landing, the contact actuates firingpin 32, and this immediately sets off the charge of the contact-burstforward body 1, the detonating cord 7, and the charge of the air-burstaft body 2. Only a few microseconds delay is experienced in this seriesoperation. The air-burst action is thus achieved at a definite heightdetermined by the length of detonating cord 7, without electricalcircuits, power supplies, mechanisms, or external remote controls of anykind.

It is possible to obtain the same operation without a specific separateassembly of air-drag vanes, by designing the aft body 2 to have built-insize, surface, or shape factors which give it greater air resistancethan the forward body 1.

It will be noted that the various components of this invention are wellknown in themselves, i.e., the fuze, explosive bodies, detonating cord,and aerodynamic drag device are typical of standard conventionaldevices. Their arrangement and adaptation in the present combination isto facilitate deployment of the new invention, a combination air andground burst munition. It is also readily noticed that the same orsimilar arrangements can be used in other applications, such as inrockets or mortars for instance, or in non-explosive applications suchas the landing or distributing of supplies, leaflets and the like fromthe forward and/or aft container bodies.

While in order to comply with the statute, the invention has beendescribed in language more or less specific as to structural features,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificfeatures shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosedcomprise one particular forrn of putting the invention into effect, andthe invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modificationswithin the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A munition or the like comprising a contact-burst body, an air-burstbody, a length of flexible detonating cord connected between saidbodies, said air-burst body incorporating aerodynamic drag means, saidbodies being generally cylindrical With a decreasing taper at the rearof said contact-burst body and at the front of said airburst body,spacer means mounted between said two bodies, said cord being coiledbetween said bodies when in a stowed condition, a cylindrical housinghaving a plurality of longitudinal segments fit together edge-to-edgeand surrounding said coiled cord, the outside diameter of said housingbeing susbtantially the same as said bodies, said drag means attached tothe rear of said airburst body and having a plurality of vanes foldableforward over said bodies and conforming to the outer shape of saidbodies as stowed, and wind-actuated release means surrounding said vanesto normally hold the entire twobody munition assembly in a compactcondition as stowed.

2. A munition or the like comprising a contact-burst body, an air-burstbody, a length of flexible detonating cord connected between saidbodies, aerodynamic drag vanes pivotally attached to the rear of saidair-burst body and foldable forward over both said bodies, said vaneshaving retaining lips at their outer ends fitting against the forwardend of said contact-burst body to normally hold said bodies in a compactassembly prior to use, and including releasable means normally holdingsaid drag vanes in the aforesaid assembly position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,318,926 10/1919Settle 1027.4 X 2,044,819 6/1936 Taylor 102-4 3,047,259 7/1962 Tatnallet al 102--4 X 3,173,365 3/1965 Battaglini 1027.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 220,324 9/ 1925 Great Britain.

385,595 3/1931 Great Britain.

271,331 2/1930 Italy.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Examiner.

1. A MUNITION OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A CONTACT-BURST BODY, AN AIR-BURSTBODY, A LENGTH OF FLEXIBLE DETONATING CORD CONNECTED BETWEEN SAIDBODIES, SAID AIR-BURST BODY INCORPORATING AERODYNAMIC DRAG MEANS, SAIDBODIES BEING GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL WITH A DECREASING TAPER AT THE REAROF SAID CONTACT-BURST BODY AND AT THE FRONT OF SAID AIRBURST BODY,SPACER MEANS MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID TWO BODIES, SAID CORD BEING COILEDBETWEEN SAID BODIES WHEN IN A STOWED CONDITION, A CYLINDRICAL HOUSINGHAVING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINAL SEGMENTS FIT TOGETHER EDGE-TO-EDGEAND SURROUNDING SAID COILED CORD, THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID HOUSINGBEING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS SAID BODIES, SAID DRAG MEANS ATTACHED TOTHE REAR OF SAID AIRBURST BODY AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF VANES FOLDABLEFORWARD OVER SAID BODIES AND CONFORMING TO THE OUTER SHAPE OF SAIDBODIES AS STOWED, AND WIND-ACTUATED RELEASE MEANS SURROUNDING SAID VANESTO NORMALLY HOLD THE ENTIRE TWOBODY MUNITION ASSEMBLY IN A COMPACTCONDITION AS STOWED.